Google reportedly has a partner in its robotics efforts: Apple supplier Foxconn

For years, Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn – also known as Hon Hai – has been Apple’s largest supplier. However, it is now also quietly working with Apple’s rival Google — more specifically on Android creator Andy Rubin’s robotics project — the Wall Street Journal reports.

Foxconn’s chairman Terry Gou met with Rubin to discuss new robotic technologies and the possibility of deploying robots at Foxconn’s factories, according to the WSJ. This could mean that Google will use Foxconn as a testing ground for its robots, which will reportedly be targeted at manufacturing in areas such as electronics assembly.

Foxconn may be best known for its Apple link but it has seen its revenue growth slowing. The company has thus been intensifying its diversification efforts – and one of its initiatives was a smartwatch, unveiled in June this year.